Imposter
by Reillusioned
Summary: Rumor has it that the Bandit King has been selling off bounty and stealing far below his ability. What's the problem? Jing has been doing no such thing. Jing and Kir meet lookalikes, but it doesn't seem to be them. The question is, who IS it?
1. Molotov Cocktail

(A/N) Bit of a strange fic, but hey, that's what this site is for, isn't it? Takes place after the anime with some random references to events in the manga. Mostly Jing girls, I'd suspect. It's kinda like my continuation of the anime. If it makes you feel better, call it AU. Molotov and Daiquiri belong to me and no other. Now, I'm off to read Twilight Tales!

)------(

The shopkeeper sighed and flipped through a magazine. He hated slow days. Owning a shop in Pandeamon was not all it was cracked up to be. The sound of the door opening and closing reached his ears, and he popped up out of his seat. "Hell-lo!" He chimed. "Would you be buying or selling today?" "Selling." The young man replied with a smirk. Would you be interested in buying this?" He produced from behind his back a luminescent, blue-white mask. The shopkeeper's eyes widened. Of course he would! But it wouldn't do to let his costumer know that. "Sure." He drawled, "If you're selling."

A few minutes and a far emptier wallet later, the shopkeeper once more had the store to himself, but this time he had one of the most valuable items in the land under his counter. The Vintage Smile, who would've guessed? Though how it ended up two hundred miles from Zaza he had no idea. Apparently the mask had gone missing more than a year ago. He didn't doubt that he could sell it back to the Madame Earl with ease. 'But,' He wondered, 'Who was the man that came in here? The only person who would have it in their possession would be the person that stole it in the first place, wouldn't it?' That meant that his costumer had been…

"The Bandit King!" Yelled the shopkeeper, jumping up and in turn startling a girl walking into the store.

"Uh, no." She pointed to herself. "Me, Mashenka."

)------(

On the other side of the Pandeamon, Kir flapped uncertainly above the crowd. Trust Jing to disappear five minutes after they enter the city. The ebony bird had only turned his head for a few seconds to look at a passing beauty (Although he may have followed her in a daze for a few blocks, he really couldn't remember) and Jing was nowhere to be seen. Even with a coat so bright it could melt your eyes, the grey-eyed bandit had an irritating talent for disappearing in crowds. At this rate, it would be next week before Kir found him.

Suddenly, the hovering bird spotted a familiar sight; a navy cat with spinning eyes. With a burst of speed, Kir flapped off towards the boy bearing the cat on his head.

"Ah, Daiqui, there you are."

Kir started. The boy he had come around to face didn't look remotely like Jing. His hair was sky blue, and though cut similarly to Jing's was longer and a bit fluffier. His coat, though still far too vivid for any sane person to wear, was yellow-green instead of orange. His eyes were not steel grey, but merely a few shades darker than his hair. The cat that had led Kir to mistake the boy for Jing in the first place was in fact a hat, not a mask. The hat was made so that it appeared as if the boy's head was being eaten by an insane kitty. Kir blinked at him in surprise, and the boy blinked right back.

"Hey, you're not Daiquiri."

"Damn right I'm not!" Growled the bird. He turned to flap in the direction he had been going, when he heard a voice from back where he came. It was the hysterical scream of a female in danger.

"Fear not, my sweet!" Bellowed the crow. He boy smiled a satisfied smile. "Ah, now THAT is Daiqui."

As Kir flew onwards, a scene quickly came into view. Jing was at the center of a crowd, which had parted in a circle to watch the ongoings. That in itself was far from unusual. The part that was unusual was that Jing wasn't fighting anybody. In fact, he was fending off the attacks this time, not wanting to draw his blade for fear of hurting his opponent. The opponent was the strangest thing. It was a small, frantic bird, not unlike Kir himself. She was, apparently, the cause of the disruption.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH MY MOLTOV!" She screamed as she dive- bombed him once more. Jing ducked as she swooped overhead, too furious to take aim. The boy that Kir had mistaken for his own bandit walked calmly through the crowd, pushing past spectators. "'Scuse me, pardon me, coming through, watch out, maniacal bird on the loose, I'm a trained professional…" And so on. The boy stepped out into the ring and grabbed the bird's tail feathers in one smooth movement. "Sorry about that." He smiled at Jing, who smirked back good-naturedly. The female avian was nuzzling the boy and gushing about how worried she'd been. Kir looked on interestedly. As she was nuzzling his neck, he could now tell that the other bird's feathers were coal grey, and she was wearing a shirt tie the same hue as the hair of the boy she was clinging to. The crowd was starting to disperse, and Jing and the other boy looked ready to go with them. The black bird looked on incredulously. "Hello?" Am I the only one seeing double?" Both Jing and the other boy, apparently called Molotov looked causally over their shoulders, sizing each other up, then stared at Kir and replied in unison. "Yup." Then continued on their way. Kir sweatdropped. "A King of anything shouldn't be this dense." He grumbled, and drifted off after his ward.

Kir flapped easily beside his thieving friend. "Uh, hey, Jing? Remember that rumor that's going around about the Bandit King selling off his booty lately?" Jing looked calmly upwards at his companion. "Kir, you know I sell off loot as I get it." Kit looked back as he flew. "Yeah, I know. I was just wondering if maybe that guy was trying to be you or something." Jing smiled to himself and said quietly. "No, I don't think so. For one, the last account of the guy selling off stuff was in Utopia. That was only a week ago, he couldn't have gotten to Pandaemon that quickly." Kir rolled his eyes.

"I wish I had your lack of faith in the train system, Jing."


	2. Tequila Mockingbird

(A/N) No, this is not a bunch of little one-shots. They all tie in, just give it time. As for pronunciation, Utopia is You-toe-pee-a, and Pandeamon is Pan-day-mon. Daiquiri/Daiqui is Dak-ir-ir or Dak-key. Molotov is Malt-awe-v. Schnapps is Sh-nawps. That's about it, I think. . I'm not trying to condescending, just clear.

I've had the first half written for a while, but all the reviews got me off my lazy butt to finish it.Reviews WORK! THEY DO I TELL YOU!

And for any taddlers out there, I'm not RESPONDING to reviews, just clearing a few things up. shifty eyes Yeah…

I didn't make new paragraphs for dialogue in the last chapter because I thought it would seem like I was trying to stretch the page. I didn't know it would confuse anyboy. I also know that there's another Jing section (I wanna know how that happened…) But I like the title King Of Bandit Jing better than Jing: King of Bandits. Don't know why. And yes, the story revolves mostly around Jing and Molotoz (NOT in a shonen-ai way.) For reasons that shall be explained in an upcoming chapter.

)—(

Once again, we bring you to Pandeamon. In a small, smoky bar in the southern quarter, a young man sat at a round table, surrounded by chattering women, and smiling to himself. The ploy had worked perfectly. Since very few knew what the Bandit King looked like, it was easy to claim you were the Bandit yourself. Girls always fell for the bad boys, especially the king of the bad boys.

"So, like, what was the last thing you stole" giggled the oldest of the four sisters. Schnapps smiled and leaned towards her, pushing a bit of hair out of her face. "Your heart, I hope." She and her sisters giggled even louder. From behind him, the red haired boy heard a loud, raucous voice. "Look, if that line worked, I'd have a following of hundreds by now." A rustle of cloth, then the voice continued. "Hey, Jing, I can't say I'm a big fan of imposters." The statement was quickly followed by a large, curved blade embedding itself in the table in front of him. He backed up as far as he could into the cushion of the booth and turned around, eyes huge. Arching over him was the arm attached to the blade, and on the other side of it was a boy a year or two younger than himself in a vibrant orange coat. The black haired boy smirked. "Neither do I, Kir." Schnapps turned back to see the blade be pulled from the table, and notice that his girls had all disappeared.

"I wouldn't suggest doing that again. Most people don't like the Bandit King too much."

Schnapps stood and whirled on the stranger. "And what would you know?"

The bird hovering behind him cackled. "He IS the Bandit King, moron."

"KIR!"

At once the gaggle of females returned, flocking around the young boy. "What, really?" "So, how long are you in town?" "Are you single?' And so forth. The boy backed up slowly, smiling and sweatdropping. Schnapps turned away and sulked. Of course, with his luck the REAL Bandit King had to be sitting one booth away. Damn karma.

A few minutes and a fire escape Later, Jing and Kir were once more walking down the crowded street. "Hey, Jing, why didn't you beat that guy up more?" Jing looked lazily at his friend. "As far as we know, that's the first time he's done it. He probably won't do it again." A vein popped out on Kir's head. "How do you know that?" Jing looked back at the black bird.

"I don't. But it's nice to give him the benefit of the doubt, isn't it?" An irritated avian followed him for the rest of the day.

)-----(

"So, Jing, you haven't told me where the train is headed yet." Kir said with a smirk. Jing walked slowly down the aisle, looking for a compartment with space in it. Finding a suitable one, he ducked in to avoid the ticketmaster and sat down across from the other occupant, Kir pestering him the whole way. The boy sitting across from him had his face buried in a large newspaper.

Turning to Kir, Jing finally replied. "The city of Zaza." He responded with a smile. Kir's jaw (beak) dropped. "Weren't we just there two years ago?"

Jing lifted an eyebrow. "Most people don't consider two years a short time, Kir."

An older boy with dark skin and black hair popped into the compartment. "Tickets?" He demanded. Jing easily produced a ticket he had stolen from a passenger earlier and handed it to the man. He saw a hand protrude from behind the newspaper and do the same. He read the name on the ticket. Tequila Mockingbird. _'That can't be right.'_ He thought.

"Hey, Daiqui, that Bandit King guy sold a bunch more loot in Salem the other day."

A higher-pitched voice also came from behind the newspaper. "Think he'll be at Zaza in time for the Masquerade?"

Kir's jaw dropped again. "The Masquerade? That's why we're going, Jing? No treasure, no grand plots-" He was cut off by Jing's hand covering his beak. "I do wish you'd stop doing that, Kir." The newspaper dropped, revealing a boy with pale blue hair and a vibrant green coat. "Oh, it's you."

"YOU!" Kir and Daiqui exclaimed, and lunged for each other. "IMPOSTER!" They yelled in unison.

Holding Kir back from attacking the bird in the blue tie, Jing turned his attention to Molotov, who was doing the same with his companion. "So, you're real name's Tequila?"

Molotov smirked. "I dunno. Is your real name Taxidermy?" Jing raised the arm that wasn't occupied with Kir up in a symbol of defeat. "Okay, you got me. Looks like we have a similar line of work." Molotov nodded.

Eventually, Kir and Daiqui calmed down, even tolerated each other enough to chat about their travels. Finally, bored of having read the cheap rag that the train tried to pass off as a magazine, Jing started up some conversation. "So, why are you headed to Zaza?"

Molotov smiled and tilted his head to the side. "Let's just say I need to meet somebody. You?" Jing smiled back. "Let's just say our reasons aren't too different."

Molotov's smile turned a little sarcastic as he looked out the window.

"I doubt it."


	3. Lady Stir

(A/N) Ack… My comuter is slowly dying, so this chapter is probably going to be the last one for a while. Which is pretty sucky, considering I have four or so chapters set out in my head. I also apologize for the bad dialogue and fight scenes in this one. (sweatdrop) Gomen!

Stir sat upright on the velvet chair, smile fixed in place beneath the mask. She scanned the crowd anxiously, looking for the same person as she had last year. The year before that, the masquerade had quite a different form and meaning. But, as he tended to do, he changed that. She'd heard tales of the Bandit's travels, all seeming to go the same way. He'd enter a city, scope it out, then reveal himself for who he was and all hell would break loose. Of course, when it did, he always made off with a treasure of some sort. Three years. That was how long she had waited for him. And, deep down, she knew she'd wait longer.

She perked up. A familiar symbol was making it's way towards her, a navy blue cat with dizzy green eyes. As it's wearer came closer, she realized that it wasn't a mask, but a hat, nonetheless covering much of his face. Her heart sank as she realized that the boy's hair wasn't even dark, forget black. He stepped up to her throne, long coat obscuring her from the crowds view. "May I have this dance?" She sighed.

"No, sir. I am waiting for another."

He smirked. "You're mistaken." Stir realized that while she had been thinking, he had moved closer to her, and that now there was something digging into her side. Something very sharp, which she would not want to reach any vital organs. "You think you have a choice."

)---------------(

Kir looked up suspiciously. The arena where the Mos Corrida had been held was now tiled in black and white marble. To avid detection, Jing had replaced his cat mask with one that resembled a Por Vora. The black bird kept close to Jing, who was making his way through the crowd towards the throne. Just as they came in sight of the elaborate chair, a sense of urgency swept through the crowd. "Where's the princess?" "Miss Stir is gone!" "I saw her dancing with a stranger a moment ago…" "Right near the staircase…" "Where'd they go…" "Looked almost like Wonder Boy…" Jing's eyes narrowed and Kir landed on his shoulder. "Well, Odorobo?" "I'm thinking, I'm thinking…"

A female dancer screeched and pointed upwards before fainting. On top of the rim of the arena was Stir, in her flowing ball gown, her captor grinning and holding a knife to her neck. "Your princess is now under my control. Give me what I want or I'll slit her throat and drop her."

"What are your terms?" Jing yelled, disguising his voice.

"I want the King of Bandits up her, and now." Jing sighed and took off his mask, then ran to the stairs. Kir took a more direct route and flew up the sides of the arena.

Facing the kidnapper, Jing narrowed his eyes, tensing up. Ten feet away, the intruder shook his head. "I don't want to fight, I want to negotiate." The wind was starting to pick up. Jing raised his voice to be sure he was heard. "Negotiate what?"

The intruder tilted his head back and grinned. The kitty hat slipped backwards and was carried off by the wind, revealing sky blue hair and slightly darker eyes. Kir made a funny, strangled squawking noise.

"Be my teacher."

Jing stared at the old acquaintance. "Your teacher? Why?"

"Just agree!" Molotov yelled.

"And what if I say no?"

The boy looked curious for a moment. "You know, I hadn't thought that far ahead."

Stir grit her teeth and whirled around to face her captor. Molotov jumped backwards and whipped the dagger that had a moment ago been pressed to the lady's throat around him. Jing soon saw that it was not a simple blade, but was wielded from a dull silver chain. Stir leapt headfirst towards her former captor. Molotov pulled the chain between his outstretched hands and blocked her fist. Grabbing the chain that stopped her blow, the purple-haired girl swung her legs around to kick the back of his knees. The blue haired boy went down sideways, looking mildly surprised. Stir smirked victoriously, before Molotov planted his hands on the ground and flipped himself to the side, giving her a heel kick to the chin as he did. As she reeled, he dashed the few feet back to her and once again held the dagger to her throat.

Stir swore loudly. "That's not very ladylike." Molotov commented dryly. "So, Odorobo, what do you say?"

Jing sighed. "As my 'student', you'd listen to me and try to do anything too stupid, right?" Molotov grinned and nodded.

"Ugh, fine."

Molotov let go of his former hostage, throwing his hands in the air. "Yes! I win!"

Kir landed near Jing's feet, muttering darkly. Daiqui flapped back to the roof, struggling against the wind. The dark blue kitty hat was clutched in her beak. Molotov smiled at her. "Well, Daiqui, we'll be traveling with the King of Bandits from now on." The grey bird chirped happily.

Stir stumbled a few steps, then righted herself, walking slowly towards Jing with a small smile on her face. Sadly, at that moment, Angostura came bursting forth from the staircase, followed closely by the palace guards. "Stop right there, Bandit!" cried a guard. Jing smirked and stepped quickly back to the edge of the roof. Molotov ran after him and leapt headfirst off the side. Jing simply stepped backwards off the ledge with a wink towards Stir. They were closely followed by two birds, both arguing.

Angostura gave a sigh of relief. "Good thing he's gone, right, milady?"

"You… You…" Stir tried to put her feelings into words.

"Yes, milady?"

"MORON!"

(A/N) Ug. Sorry for the short chapter. And Stir doesn't have much of a personality, does she? (sigh) Anyways. Review anyways:3


End file.
